I Became The Villain's Master

7

“What?” I muttered absentmindedly. His words stunned me.

It was illegal to keep slaves in the empire, so it was completely unexpected for him to suddenly ask me to be his mistress.

When I saw the languid smile on his face, enough to restore my vision, I almost lost my senses for a moment. How could I possibly refuse a beautiful person who pleaded with such a low, deep voice? My face turned red, and I took a step back in surprise.

“W-what does that mean? Are you asking to become my slave? Slavery is illegal in the empire…”

“I am doing this willingly, so you don’t have to worry, my mistress.”

“….”

I couldn’t bear to look at his smiling face any longer, so I averted my gaze. It felt like there was a halo glowing behind him.

“Um… well…”

As I hesitated, the man called out to me earnestly with a sorrowful expression.

“Mistress, please trust me.”

“No, it’s not that… It’s just so sudden.”

I didn’t even realize it, but the words flowed out of me on their own. I tried to stop my lips from moving on their own, but the man’s appearance made me forget everything.

“Oh, it’s already late today, so shall we continue this discussion tomorrow? There’s an empty room on the second floor where you can sleep. And…”

Ah, this shouldn’t be happening. It felt like I was crossing an irreversible river, but in the end, reason gave in.

How could I heartlessly chase away someone who was being pursued? Yes, let’s have him stay at my house just for tonight, and we can have a proper conversation tomorrow! It seemed like the best decision, as my heart felt like it wouldn’t survive otherwise.

“Um… what should I call you? You haven’t introduced yourself yet. I’m Rosette.”

At my words, the man’s pupils shook aimlessly. Following a moment of silence, he flashed a sweet smile.

“That’s a beautiful name.”

My heart raced. I internally screamed, grasping onto my pounding chest. Was this a highly strategic move to make me flutter and let my guard down?

The man raised an eyebrow and continued speaking.

“I don’t have a name. Everyone just calls me ‘this guy’ or ‘that guy.'”

“You don’t have a name…?” I had anticipated this, but I couldn’t fully grasp just how unfortunate his life had been. And perhaps because of that, I had a sudden urge to give him a name.

“In that case, I’ll give you a name.”

Upon hearing that, the man’s eyes brightened with moisture. I could tell from his delicately arched eyebrows that he was genuinely delighted.

Deep in thought, my heart fluttered as I pondered a name. What would suit him best? I had confidence in naming people, honestly.

“What about Bread? It makes you crave bread just by hearing it!”

At my words, the man stared at me with a poker face.

A cold sweat broke out on its own. Did I say something wrong?

I tried reconsidering, but there was nothing wrong with what I said. It’s such a lovely name. Just hearing it makes you think of bread.

But the man in front of me didn’t seem to be so fond of it.

“Bread…If my mistress wishes it…then so be it.”

“Oh, you don’t really like it? Then… how about…”

I listed the names I had thought of.

“What about Brush? It sounds like it would make everything clean just by hearing it! Or Brown!”

The man’s smile slowly faded.

“No! It’s such a wonderful name! You’ve never heard such a beautiful name before, no matter where you go!”

“Um… would you prefer Baguette then?”

“I shall go by Baguette if that pleases you.”

“….”

The man seemed taken aback and couldn’t find the words to respond. He didn’t understand my sincerity! However, as a kind and compassionate person, I had to empathize with his feelings.

With a slightly wronged expression, I added, “Well, even though I know you don’t really like it… how about Sion? What do you think of Sion?”

I recalled a name I had seen in a novel. It sounded plausible, but maybe it was too common.
Fortunately, the man’s face showed signs of approval, and he moved his lips several times with a puzzled expression.

“Si…on. Please call me Sion.”

“Um… alright, I’ll do that. But you really have no sense of names,” I said to Sion, who looked slightly disappointed.

He really has no sense of aesthetics! Anyhow, now that I had given him a name, it was time to send him to the second floor.

“Well, shall we go up to the second floor for now? I need to tidy up.”

Sion lowered his head politely and stared at me with his flawless, radiant eyes.

“I shall do so, my mistress.”